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I got the ice and snow powder kit to give it a go and for a project which got dumped in my lap very recently, more on that in a while.

The kit consists of two 115 gram (about 4oz) bottles of snow powder, you have the choice of 'fine' and/or 'extra' when you order. It also comes with a 15ml (about 1/2 a fluid ounce) of snow wash and a fine mesh sieve for powder application.

The 'Fine' powder is just that, about the sort of grade as talcum powder and the label states that it's for 1/35th scale down to 1/160th, with decreased refraction and reflectivity. Or snow of the non-sparkly kind to put it another way.

The 'Extra' powder is for ther 1/35th up to 1/16th scale and has increased refraction and reflectivity or more the sparkly type of snow for larger scales if you will. The wash will not get a look in on this review as I currently have no use for it, onward anyways.

Included are some paperwork that has two text pages with 'quick start' guides for the snow and wash along with two blurb sheets. One being an advertisement flyer and the second being a slightly more in-depth on how to use the snow powder with text and pics.

So to my use for this gear...
I got slung the Sideshow 1/6th Deluxe Tauntaun with Commander Skywalker (Hoth) figure and told to rework, rebuild and make look more snowy...hence this gear.
Main bane of contention is the base, this bit as is...

None too shabby in the details one could say.

But not exactly got a snow vibe going if that makes sense. It's also light grey and I for one would be a bit put off about grey snow...yellow snow would put me off more but that's another story.

So first up, how to make the powder stay put. The recommendations are using either clear varnish ala rattle can or hairspray. Varnish for thin coats to build up the snow gradually so you can go from a frost like look up to full snowfall in smaller scale.

Hairspray on the other hand going by the blurb, is to build up heavier coats should you wish on small or lager scale models depending on the effect you are trying for. Hairspray is my weapon of choice for this and a 6 foot plus brush haired gorilla like me buying hair styling products got a curious look from the cashier but needs be as needs must

Ok then, taking the base and spraying from directly above, about 6 to 8 inches away and then applying a coating of snow via the supplied sieve about half full of powder.
The result.

Not too bad for a first shot then in with the extra for three coats built up. And that ended up looking like this...

More than a bit of improvement and the snow does have a wee bit of sparkle if you catch the light just right.

The Tauntaun body got slotted in to place for a quick look see and I was not displeased with what I saw to be honest.

In total, this took me about 15 mins and use maybe 5% of Fine and about 10% of the Extra so it is possible that this stuff will go a fair distance on small scale models.

The kit cost £22 GBP not incuding shipping and single bag refills are available of the powders at £8 GBP for 115gms (4oz) or two bag refills of your choice for £14 GBP at this time of scribbling.

The final verdict.
Pros:
Easy and quick to use.
Realistic snow effects done and done in a jiffy to be honest and that's about all ya need to know.

Cons:
Potentially very messy in use.
Shipping outside the UK may not be cheap.

Dust mask a must, especially for those with breathing issues. Gloves of the thin nitrile/latex type also wouldn't be a bad idea.

The blurb states the powder is non-toxic and non-hazardous but then that depends on where it ends up but care and attention with fine powder materials is a no brainer to me.

This stuff will go everywhere if your not careful so unless you want it to look like you lost a fight to a bottle of talc or work in a place that produces lots of columbian marching powder, use with care and be prepared to shove the clothes your wearing straight in the laundry after a bout with this stuff, consider yaselves warned people!

Overall, would recommend as a one stop solution for scale snow effects if you can't find anything else to do the job for you.

I've never liked snow effects in dioramas simply because it doesn't look real.

This actually does!

Nice heads up----thanks Ian!

__________________On WF:

Now, even if I WERE to attend, y'all better keep them costume wearing types away from me. I don't like you model people. How I ever got hooked up with you geeks, I'll never know. I lived all this time, just to end up spending my days with fucking "Skill Level 3" and "Ages 8 and up". --Eagle-1, the funniest bastard on Earth!